1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to engineering of functional three-dimensional (3-D) tissue constructs for the replacement and/or repair of damaged native tissues.
2. Description of Related Art
Engineering of functional three-dimensional (3-D) tissue constructs for the replacement and/or repair of damaged native tissues using cells and scaffolds is one of the ultimate goals of tissue engineering. The following references describe various scaffolds:                Zhang Y, Ouyang H, Lim C T, Ramakrishna S, Huang Z M., Electrospinning of gelatin fibers and gelatin/PCL composite fibrous scaffolds, J Biomed Mater Res. 2004 Sep. 22;        Xu C, Inai R, Kotaki M, Ramakrishna S., Electrospun nanofiber fabrication as synthetic extracellular matrix and its potential for vascular tissue engineering. Tissue Eng. 2004 July-August; 10 (7-8):1160-8; and        Stankus J J, Guan J, Wagner W R., Fabrication of biodegradable elastomeric scaffolds with sub-micron morphologies. J Biomed Mater Res. 2004 Sep. 15; 70A(4):603-14.        
Further information regarding scaffolds can be obtained from U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,306,424, 6,616,435, 6,689,166, 6,753,311, 6,790,455, 6,790,528 and 6,821,479 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0090725 to Simpson et al.
Problems with currently available scaffolds include the following: current scaffold need to be crosslinked, mechanical properties are not suitable for multiple applications, and limited cell in-growth.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide scaffolds with better mechanical properties and improved cell in-growth capabilities.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.